Juliana Francis
Thousands of congregants were left in awe when a couple narrated how they endured an 18-year childless marriage to finally join the League of Parents after God answered their prayers to bring forth a son in a special dedication service in Lagos last Sunday.
Mr and Mrs Jackson married in 2005 and had to wait until late 2023 — 18 years — before they could bear a child they could call their own after several years of failed attempts.
Mrs Stella Jackson turned out the most celebrated of the mothers who brought their children to be dedicated at the Grace Nation International Church in Ojodu-Berger, Lagos on Sunday as she put up a no-holds-barred show of gratitude to God for the grace that turned her from a barren woman to a fruitful mother at her advanced age.
She and her husband, also quite advanced in age, were profuse with praise to God for the grace that helped them locate the church, as well as its ordained minister, Dr Chris Okafor who they said ended their childless ordeal after he prophesied and prayed for them by the help of the Holy Spirit.
“The story of our childlessness is well documented. For 18 years, we were the butt of ribald jokes, uncomplimentary remarks by both friends, foes and family members alike,” the joyous couple told an attentive audience at the church’s worship service on Sunday.
“No one gave us any chance of ever bearing children again after I had entered menopause. No one thought God still wanted to glorify Himself through us by proving to the doubting Thomases that what He could not do did not exist,” Mrs Jackson said.
“Our case was like that of the Biblical Abraham and Sarah who, after having exceeded their most biologically productive years, were never given a chance. But God showed up once again, as He used his servant, Dr Chris Okafor, the one we all know as the ‘Oracle of God, to demonstrate His awesome wonders by making me conceive and bear a child just as He had prophesied,” she added.
Resplendent in white apparel and matching accessories, the couple danced to the admiration of a packed audience of adherents who marvelled at how God turned around a seemingly hopeless situation in the lives of the Jacksons by giving them a son they had aptly christened, ‘Emmanuel.’
The testimony comes weeks before the usually highly anticipated ‘Harvest of Babies’ programme which is held every year at the Grace Nation International Church. Diverse testimonies of uncommon breakthroughs, ending long years of barrenness have regularly sprung from this yearly flagship programme.
This year’s edition will be held from March 27-31, 2024 at the church’s brand new auditorium at No 9-12 Oshofisan Street, by Ereke Bus Stop, Ojodu-Berger, Lagos.
